About Me

Welcome to A Drink and a Song, my name is Jon, thanks for hanging out. I have been working in the craft beverage field for a few years now and one of the first things you learn about are pairings. Food and Beer. Wine and Cheese. The idea is that the two together are greater than the sum of their parts. The balance of acids, sugars, spice, and fats in the food can bring out the quiet, subtle notes of the beer, wine, cider, etc. You can use the balanced sweet and acidic notes of Riesling to cut through the green heat of some killer fish tacos. The nutty and caramel notes of a solid Gouda can really bring out the softer biscuit notes of a Brown Ale. And on and on forever. Now, I’m all for food and I’m certainly all for the fermented treats, but what I found really interesting was the experience of pairing these things up made the beer taste better. The act of getting the idea down, grabbing the special cheese from Wegmans, serving it up on a one of those boards you never actually get to bust out, having the beer or wine all ready chilled and on the counter, using your special glass that you have to hand wash so you never use, and finally bringing it all together to actually think about what you are smelling and tasting. The emotional connection to the drink being served is just as strong, I think, as the physical one. I didn’t think that had to be limited to food, though. You can get a very similar feel from great music being paired up with a great drink. It all comes down to thoughtfulness and routines. For music, you pick your album based on the mood you’re in, or the one you want to get in. You have to pick it off the wall, or find it online. You see the album art, you feel the weight of the paper, you have to put the record on, the CD in, or click play. The sound fills a room or moves around your headphones. You have a drink picked out to end (or start) your day with. That drink was also picked purposefully. Is it a special bottle you’ve been saving for after a good day? You’re going to want some Stevie Wonder. A can you grabbed at the local shop of something you’ve been hunting for? Try some Meat Puppets. Did you have this wine on a date one time with that girl with those eyes matched her dress? Donovan. Is it a whiskey that your Grandpa would always have on the shelf? Artie Shaw.
It’s important the drink and the song be good. It’s importanter that they be good to you. I hop you enjoy.
-Jon